1. Wilmington University
Instructors Celebrate
National Distance Learning Week

2. Directions
Please review this 19 page PowerPoint to investigate some popular
Blackboard Interactive Tools, productivity tools, and browser
tools you can use to help you in your courses.
Learn the Tool Icons as you go!
After you review this PPT, please click on the survey link from your email
http://form.jotform.com/form/12901212651 and complete our “Name
That Tool” quiz. (10 questions)
To celebrate National Distance Learning Week, every submission using a
Wilmington University email address will be entered in a Prize Drawing.
You have a chance to win a $25 gift card!!
We will draw 4 winners on Monday, November 21st.
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3. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Discussion Board
 The Discussion Board is a tool for sharing
thoughts and ideas about class materials.
 The main Discussion Board page displays a list of
available discussion forums. A forum is an area
where a topic or a group of related topics are
discussed.
 Within each forum, a student can respond by
adding threads.
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4. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Blog
 A Blog—a shorthand term that means Web log—is a
personal online journal that is frequently updated and
intended for general public consumption.
 In Blackboard, only enrolled users can view and author
Blogs. Blogs encourage students to clearly express
their ideas and addresses the need to expand various
aspects of social learning.
 Blogs provide a way to share knowledge about a
subject.
 In Blackboard, Blogs consist of two elements:
 Blog Entries: Students may add text, images,
links, multimedia, Mashups, and attachments.
 Comments: Remarks or responses to Blog entries
made by other course members, including the
Instructor.
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5. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Journal
 The Journal tool offers students opportunity to
reflect on course content and communicate privately
with the Instructor, or the instructor can choose to
make Journal entries public, allowing course
members to view all entries.
 Instructors can use the tool to gauge understanding
and guide students in their knowledge acquisition.
Instructor comments can help students refine their
writing and ideas.
 Journal entries may be graded or ungraded.
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6. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Wikis
• Wikis allow multiple students to share and
collaborate on one or more pages of content.
Pages can be created and edited quickly, while
tracking changes and additions.
• Instructors can create one or more wikis for all
course members to contribute to, or create wikis
for groups to use to collaborate.
• Wikis are used to record information and serve as
a repository for course information and
knowledge.
• Instructors can view all changes to all pages in
the wiki.
• Wikis may be graded or ungraded.
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7. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Groups
 Instructors can create groups of students
within a course in the Control Panel. Click on
Users and Groups, and select Groups.
 These course Groups have their own area in
Blackboard to collaborate on course work.
 Group Discussion Boards is just one way groups
may collaborate in a course.
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8. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Chat
 The Chat tool allows students to
interact with other users using a
text-based chat.
 Chat can be accessed separately, or
part of the Virtual Classroom.
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9. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Wimba Classroom
 A synchronous live, virtual classroom
environment, includes audio, video,
application sharing and content display.
 Advanced features such as polling, white
board, presenter on-the-fly, resizable chat
areas and participant lists, and usage
analytics tools are available in the Wimba
Classroom.
 Wimba events can be archived and students
can view the archive at a later date as MP3
or MP4 downloads.
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10. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Voice Email
 Voice Email allows you to send e-mail including text
and embedded audio.
 You can send to selected users or all students in the
course.
 If the check box is selected, students may also use
this tool to create an audio file and send.
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11. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Voice Board
 In the online classroom, student and instructor
communication is limited to text and static
images. Instead of a regular Discussion Board,
try Voice Board.
 Important elements of face-to-face
communication, including the nuances of voice,
are missing from text-based discussions.
 Wimba VoiceBoard recaptures these elements,
contributing to greater clarity and understanding.
 http://www.wimba.com/solutions/higher-
education/wimba_voice_for_higher_education/
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12. Blackboard Interactive Tool
Voice Podcaster
 A podcast is a digital audio file
distributed over the Internet.
 It allows you and your students to
author (and/or upload) vocal
recordings.
 Easily distribute the Podcast using
Wimba Podcaster, download audio
from the feed, or subscribe using
their preferred RSS reader.
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13. Productivity Tool
Jing
 Take a picture or make a short video of what you
see on your computer monitor.
 Share it instantly via web, email, IM, Twitter or your
blog.
 Simple and free, Jing is the perfect way to enhance
your fast-paced online conversations.
 http://www.techsmith.com/Jing/?gclid=CIrj85HP1as
CFcx-5Qod7lWDYg
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14. Productivity Tool
SnagIt
 SnagIt is a screen capturing tool
that can screenshot viewable
media: images, text, or web pages.
 Capture screen content, enhance it
and share it with others
 http://www.techsmith.com/snagit/
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15. Productivity Tool
Microsoft Office - Review
 Selecting the Review tab in Microsoft Word and clicking “New
Comment” allows instructors to comment where ever the cursor
is placed in the document.
 Save your changes or save as a .pdf file
 Then share your comments with students by attaching in the
Grade Center’s View Attempts page
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16. Tab Browsing
 Multiple tabs allow you to view more than one
browser window on the same browser page.
 Navigate by clicking the tab titles.
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17. Browsing
Open in New Window
 Preserve your original web page and the newly
opened window allows for multi-tasking!
 Right click on a URL and a menu opens, select
the page to Open in New Window
 Or from your browser’s file menu, select New
Window
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18. Thank You
for Viewing Our PowerPoint
 Navigate using the URL
http://form.jotform.com/form/12901212651 and take our
“Name That Tool!” quiz.
 Submit your quiz by 11/20/2011, 11:59pm
 Drawing will be held on Monday, 11/21/2011
 Winners will be notified by email.
 Every submission will be entered in our 2011 NDLW prize
drawing with a chance to win one of four $25 gift cards.
 This PowerPoint and quiz is brought to you by Wilmington
University’s Online Learning & Educational Technology
Department. facultytraining@wilmu.edu
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19. References
 Blackboard. (n.d.). Blackboard help find answers. Retrieved from
http://help.blackboard.com/instructor/index.htm
 Insert or delete a comment - word - office.com. (2011, 19 09). Retrieved from
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/insert-or-delete-a-comment-
HA001219010.aspx
 Jing, instant screenshots and screencasts,. (2011, 10 09). Retrieved from
http://www.techsmith.com/Jing/?gclid=CIrj85HP1asCFcx-5Qod7lWDYg
 Snagit, screen capture software. (2011, 10 09). Retrieved from
http://www.techsmith.com/snagit/
 Wimba voice for higher education. (2011, 10 10). Retrieved from
http://www.wimba.com/solutions/higher-
education/wimba_voice_for_higher_education/
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